Turn 3 different quotes into 3 comparable numbers
Type what each reply says. Get the 3-year total, the cost per audit day and the replies not to sign.
Your comparison
3 replies, 40 people
Lowest 3-year total you can sign
€19,575
Body B. €5,525 less than Body A over 3 years. Do not sign Body C.
Get this comparison as a PDF
Each reply, line by line
Body A
€25,100
- Audits
- €23,750
- Fees and travel
- €1,350
- Year 1
- €9,200
- Audit days
- 19
- Cost per audit day
- €1,321
No flags. Nothing to ask before you compare the price.
Body B
€19,575
- Audits
- €16,275
- Fees and travel
- €3,300
- Year 1
- €7,275
- Audit days
- 15.5
- Cost per audit day
- €1,263
- Ask. The reply offers a pre-audit. The accreditation rules allow 1 pre-audit before stage 1 if it does not threaten impartiality. It cannot replace stage 1 or shorten the later audits. Ask for these terms in writing.
Body C
€2,760
- Audits
- €2,760
- Fees and travel
- €0
- Year 1
- €1,380
- Audit days
- 4
- Cost per audit day
- €690
- Stop. The reply also offers consultancy. A certification body must not offer management system consultancy to the companies it certifies.
- Ask. The reply names no accreditation body. Ask which body accredits the certification body for ISO/IEC 27001.
- Ask. 2 days for stage 1 and stage 2. For 40 people, published audit-time figures start at 8-10 days, and the largest allowed reduction gives 5.5. Ask which facts justify fewer days.
- Ask. 4 audit days against a median of 15.5 in all replies. Ask how the body calculated the audit time.
What to find in each reply
A certificate runs 3 years and needs 5 audits. A low first-year price can hide a high yearly fee.
| Line | What to check |
|---|---|
| Day rate | Is report writing billed as extra time? |
| Audit days per audit | Headcount sets the starting time, so accredited bodies land close to each other. |
| One-time fees | Application, certificate issue, printed certificate. |
| Yearly fees | Registration, licence, directory or logo use. The tool counts them 3 times. |
| Travel | Zero for remote audits. For on-site audits, ask for a cap. |
| First free stage 1 date | A low price after your deadline does not help. |
How the flags work
Stop removes the reply from the ranking. Ask needs a written answer.
- Stop: the accreditation does not count for management system certification. Which accreditation counts.
- Stop: the same group sells consultancy. One pre-audit before stage 1 is allowed, so that only gets an ask flag. Why they stay apart.
- Ask: too few audit days. A body can cut the starting time by about 30% for a simple scope. Below that, or more than 30% off the median of 3 or more replies, the reply gets a flag. Warning signs.
- Ask: the first free date is too late. Stage 1 starts after your deadline. Put the deadline in the request.